Your cart is currently empty!
Man Loses Part Of His Jaw Chasing Phone Thief Before Surgeons Rebuild It Using His Leg
A stolen phone is frustrating enough. For most people, it ends with a police report, cancelled bank cards, and the hope that insurance will cover the loss. For André Gayoso, however, the decision to chase after the thief led to an accident so catastrophic that it changed the course of his life forever. Within minutes, the 35-year-old businessman went from waiting for an Uber after a night out with friends to fighting for his life in intensive care, with part of his jaw missing and doctors unsure how much of his face they would be able to save.
Contents
show
Today, after enduring years of surgeries, months of rehabilitation, and one of modern medicine’s most complex reconstructive procedures, André is finally able to smile again. Surgeons rebuilt his jaw using bone taken from his own leg after conventional methods failed, allowing him to regain the ability to speak, eat, and continue running his business. His story is one of extraordinary medical innovation, but it is also a reminder of how quickly a single moment can reshape an entire life.
A Routine Journey Home Turned Into A Life-Threatening Emergency
The incident happened in October 2022 after André had spent the evening out in São Paulo, Brazil. As he stood waiting for his Uber, a cyclist suddenly rode past and grabbed the mobile phone from his hand before speeding away. Like many victims caught off guard, André reacted instinctively. Instead of accepting the loss, he sprinted after the thief in an attempt to recover his phone before the cyclist disappeared into the city.
According to André, someone working nearby even tried to help. A bartender handed him a broom handle, giving him what he hoped might be a chance to stop the cyclist. Looking back, André remembers trying to use it to knock the bike off balance, although his memories become increasingly fragmented as the chase continued.
“I have a distinct memory of trying to use it as a spear to jab the wheel of the bicycle,” he recalled. “I’m pretty sure I had to get at least parallel with the guy to execute the throw.”
Those memories are among the last clear moments he can remember from that night. As he ran downhill through a crowded street, André attempted to avoid people walking in the opposite direction. During those split seconds, he lost his footing and fell directly onto a square metal security bar installed outside a row of shops to prevent break-ins. The impact struck his chin with devastating force, causing injuries that would require years of treatment to repair.
He Woke Up Nearly Two Weeks Later Unable To Speak
The accident left André with catastrophic facial injuries. The force of the collision shattered his jaw, destroyed part of his chin and lower lip, and knocked out six teeth. Emergency responders rushed him to a nearby hospital, which was only around 600 metres away. That short distance may have played a crucial role in saving his life.
Doctors placed André into intensive care, where he remained unconscious for nearly two weeks. When he finally opened his eyes 13 days later, he had no memory of the accident itself. His last recollection was simply walking toward his Uber before everything went black.
“I don’t remember anything afterwards,” André said. “I woke in the ICU 13 days later.”
The reality he woke up to was almost impossible to comprehend. Much of his lower face had been destroyed, leaving him unable to speak. Weeks of immobility had also taken an enormous toll on his body. During his coma, André lost around 20 kilograms and much of his muscle mass, making even the simplest movements exhausting. Recovery would require rebuilding both his face and his physical strength from the ground up.
The Financial Damage Continued Even After The Accident
As André slowly came to terms with his injuries, another devastating discovery awaited him. While he was unconscious in hospital, thieves reportedly gained access to his financial accounts and emptied them. According to André, his bank accounts, cryptocurrency holdings, and even his U.S. bank account were all compromised during the days he was unable to respond.
“It took me a month to get my stuff back in order,” he explained. Alongside the emotional trauma of the accident, he suddenly found himself dealing with the stress of recovering stolen money while facing months of medical treatment.
The cost of surviving proved overwhelming in more ways than one. His health insurance covered the major reconstructive procedures, but many of the smaller operations, follow-up treatments, and cosmetic corrections have had to be paid for personally. Those expenses continue even today, years after the original accident.
Despite everything, André refused to allow the tragedy to completely derail his life. Even while recovering in hospital, he stayed involved with his sunglasses business, determined to keep it operating despite the uncertainty surrounding his own future.
Doctors Had To Rebuild His Jaw Using Bone From His Leg
The months that followed proved just as challenging as the accident itself. André’s injuries were too severe for doctors to repair using standard reconstructive techniques. A large section of his lower jaw had been destroyed, leaving surgeons with the difficult task of restoring both the appearance of his face and the functions most people take for granted, including speaking, eating, and breathing.
Their first attempt involved taking skin from André’s left forearm to reconstruct the damaged area. While skin grafts are commonly used in facial reconstruction, this procedure was unsuccessful because it could not replace the extensive amount of missing bone. With approximately seven centimetres of jawbone gone, doctors knew they would need a far more complex solution if André was ever going to regain a normal quality of life.
Surgeons ultimately decided to perform a procedure known as a fibula free flap reconstruction. During the painstaking 11-hour operation, they removed part of the fibula from André’s right leg and carefully shaped it into a replacement jawbone. The bone was then connected to tiny blood vessels in his face using microsurgery, allowing it to function as part of his reconstructed jaw.
Although the idea of removing bone from a patient’s leg sounds alarming, the fibula is often the preferred choice for major facial reconstruction because people can usually continue walking normally after recovery. For André, the operation represented far more than a remarkable medical procedure. It offered his first real chance at rebuilding the life he had almost lost.
Eleven Surgeries Marked A Long And Difficult Recovery
The reconstruction surgery was only the beginning of André’s recovery. Over the following years, he underwent an extraordinary series of corrective procedures as doctors worked to restore both the appearance and function of his face. Every operation addressed a different challenge left behind by the accident, from rebuilding damaged tissue to improving his ability to speak and eat comfortably.
Among those procedures were prosthetic dental implants to replace the six teeth he had lost, along with three plastic surgeries designed to reduce the width of his mouth. Following the earlier reconstructions, his mouth had become much wider than normal, making speech difficult. Each operation brought gradual improvements, although progress was measured in months rather than weeks.
Breathing also became a major concern throughout his treatment. André required a tracheostomy for 11 months, allowing doctors to safely manage his airway while multiple surgeries took place. Living with the breathing tube added another layer of physical and emotional difficulty during an already exhausting recovery.
Even today, his treatment is not completely finished. Because skin from his leg was used to rebuild part of his lower lip, hair follicles naturally continued growing in the transplanted tissue. André now undergoes laser treatments to permanently remove those hairs, one of the many unexpected consequences of such an extensive reconstruction. His latest surgery took place in December 2025, with additional cosmetic procedures still planned.
He Refused To Let The Accident Define His Life
Despite the physical pain and emotional trauma, André remained determined to rebuild more than just his face. He continued managing his sunglasses business throughout his recovery, refusing to let months in hospital bring everything he had worked for to a halt.
One moment after waking from his coma has stayed with him ever since. His mother returned many of his belongings that had survived the accident, including his watch and shoes. Then she handed him something he never expected to see again.
“‘Oh, last thing, your sunglasses are here,’” André recalled. “There was not a single scratch on them or nothing.”
It was a small detail compared with everything else he had endured, but it became a symbol of hope during one of the darkest periods of his life. While so much had been destroyed in an instant, seeing the sunglasses untouched reminded him that some parts of his old life still remained.
His positive outlook has also played a major role throughout his recovery. Even after years of surgeries and setbacks, André says he chooses to focus on the future rather than everything he has lost.
“I don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel, I imagine it,” he said. “I am a very upbeat guy and I always look on the bright side. It’s the correct way to look at life.”
Why Surgeons Often Choose The Fibula For Jaw Reconstruction
Although André’s recovery is extraordinary, the surgical technique used to rebuild his jaw has become one of the most reliable options for patients who lose large sections of facial bone through trauma or cancer treatment. The fibula provides surgeons with enough strong, healthy bone to recreate the shape of the jaw while also supplying blood vessels that help the transplanted tissue heal successfully.
The procedure offers several important advantages:
- The fibula provides a long section of bone that can be shaped to match the jaw.
- Blood vessels can be reconnected under a microscope, allowing the transplanted bone to survive.
- Most patients are still able to walk normally after recovery because the remaining leg bones continue supporting body weight.
- The reconstructed jaw can later support dental implants, helping restore chewing and speech.
Operations like André’s require teams of highly specialised surgeons, careful planning, and many hours in the operating theatre. Even with successful surgery, recovery often continues for years through rehabilitation, additional procedures, and ongoing physical therapy.
One Split-Second Decision Changed Everything
The phone André chased was never worth the price he ultimately paid. What started as an instinctive reaction lasted only moments, yet it led to years of surgeries, rehabilitation, and rebuilding nearly every aspect of his daily life.
His story also highlights the remarkable possibilities of modern reconstructive medicine. Surgeons were able to replace part of his jaw with bone from his own leg, restoring functions that once seemed impossible to recover. Combined with André’s determination to keep moving forward, that medical achievement has allowed him to reclaim much of the life that nearly slipped away.
Today, André continues looking ahead rather than dwelling on the accident itself. His recovery remains ongoing, but each new procedure brings him another step closer to the future he imagined while lying in intensive care, unable to speak but unwilling to give up.